"Officer, did he commit a crime?"
Toru glanced at Amuro, who was standing obediently beside the police, his healthy bronze skin giving him the look of a cheerful, sunny big brother.
But Amuro didn't feel sunny at all. His smile was awkward and embarrassed. He was just silently rejoicing that no one here knew his real identity.
Otherwise, Amuro felt he might as well find a quiet place and commit seppuku. This was way too humiliating for a Public Security Bureau agent.
The young police officer shook his head. "Mr. Fujiwara, this Amuro didn't commit a crime."
"But as you know, there are lots of perverts in Japan. They're all potential criminals. If something happens, it could damage the image of your shop."
"That's why I came by to remind you. I just didn't expect the owner to be you, Mr. Fujiwara!"
The young officer looked genuinely excited and started talking fast.
In the police force, there were quite a few officers who admired Toru.
That video had gone viral. Maybe not everyone in Japan had seen it, but at least 80 to 90 percent had.
Officers in the department had also discussed that if they were in Toru's position, as police, they might also have stepped up out of duty and honor.
But the results would've likely been very different. Even the most confident officers didn't dare claim they could've taken down those criminals, much less killed them.
And Toru had done all that while protecting civilians. That was something to truly respect.
Of course, there was another important reason—Toru was the son of Chairman Fujiwara of the Japan National Security Committee.
After his rise to fame, those details couldn't be hidden. The media had long since dug up everything.
The police department had even taken the opportunity to fan the flames, heavily promoting Toru's actions to shift public scrutiny away from the officers' earlier inaction.
Naturally, the respect from police personnel only grew.
It wasn't just because of his status. In their eyes, Toru was one of them.
Every department is somewhat exclusive, and the police were no exception.
As the son of the Chairman, Toru's actions brought pride to the entire department.
When the media criticized the police for their failure to act, they still made sure to mention that the Chairman's own son risked his life to protect citizens.
That turned public opinion back in the police's favor. So even if Toru had no official role, all police personnel saw him as their own.
It was just like how the police felt about Kudo Shinichi and Hattori Heiji—both famous high school detectives.
But inside the police force, there was a lot of dissatisfaction with Kudo Shinichi. Hattori Heiji, on the other hand, was highly respected.
Because Hattori's father was the Osaka Police Superintendent, he was one of them. Every case Heiji solved was an achievement of the Osaka police.
"Mr. Fujiwara, I won't bother you any longer. I'll take my leave."
The officer gave a deep bow and left with a bright smile.
Once it was just Toru and Amuro in the office, Toru frowned and narrowed his eyes.
"Amuro, what happened? Why did the police bring you in?"
Amuro looked awkward. He glanced at Toru's face and cautiously said, "Wasn't I just following your orders, Boss?"
"Orders? What orders?"
"Didn't you tell me to check out places like Okubo Park or Ginza more often? For our KTV business plan..."
Toru stared at him strangely for a moment, then sighed. "Amuro, that was a joke. Couldn't you tell?"
Amuro's face flushed red, though his tanned skin made it hard to notice.
No, it really didn't sound like a joke at the time. It had the tone of, if you don't do this, I'm firing you.
Toru looked at him seriously. "Amuro, you need to remember that we're legitimate businessmen. We don't break the law, and we don't get involved in shady industries."
"Why can't you understand what I meant? It's fortunate nothing serious happened this time. But how did the police catch you? What exactly did you do?"
Toru was genuinely curious now.
Amuro gritted his teeth. "I followed your orders—no, I was possessed. I went to Okubo Park and started asking girls if they wanted to work at a KTV. They reported me."
He felt bitter. He didn't have experience in this kind of work. How was he supposed to tell which girls were legitimate and which weren't?
To complete the task, he had to brace himself and shamelessly ask around. But in the end, he just made a name for himself and got picked up by the cops.
Toru shook his head. "Amuro, your actions have seriously damaged the store's reputation. And mine."
"According to our contract, I should fire you. You have no objections, right?"
Amuro's face fell. He pleaded, "Boss, please give me another chance. I won't make the same mistake again!"
He absolutely could not be fired. Bourbon had never made a mistake in all his years. Rum trusted him.
Toru's expression softened. "Fine. You've been working hard lately. I've noticed."
"But you still need to be punished. Let's dock one month's pay. Sound fair?"
"But don't slack off just because you're not getting paid this month. If you do, I'll have no choice but to terminate your contract."
Amuro looked like he was going to cry from gratitude. "Thank you, Boss! I won't let you down again!"
"Good. Get back to work. And I don't want to hear any more rumors about you bothering women."
"I won't, I swear! I'm not even that interested in women!"
Seeing Toru's expression shift, Amuro quickly clarified, "That's not what I meant! I just mean I don't want a girlfriend. I'm focusing on my career!"
He quickly slipped out of the office.
Even though Toru had once again scammed him out of a month's pay and made him work for free, Amuro didn't feel upset. Instead, he felt even more grateful to Toru.
Yes, his beloved was this country.
Toru had saved so many innocent people in that library incident. In Amuro's eyes, that meant he'd saved the nation.
So working for him for free was only right.
...Though, something about that logic still felt off.
Amuro pushed the thought aside.
As for Toru's combat ability and ruthlessness when dealing with criminals, Amuro had no doubts.
He clearly knew Toru's real identity—Central Intelligence Agency, top-level agent. Being that strong was perfectly normal.
Toru hadn't gone back to class the past few days. He'd taken leave from his professor.
His excuse was airtight. The professor even told him to rest well and not rush back before fully recovering.
His actions had brought fame not just to himself, but to Tokyo University.
The school proudly promoted his act of bravery. At the moment, he was seen by many as a model of selflessness.
As Japan's top academic institution, Tokyo University took this opportunity to boast. Not only were they the best academically, but also in cultivating morally outstanding students.
Toru understood that if he went back now, his classmates would annoy him to death.
So he decided to lay low for a few days, let the buzz fade, then return.
He scrolled through the news on his phone.
"The attack at Eguchi Library resulted in 27 deaths and 69 serious injuries. Among them, 21 died on the scene, and 6 more died in intensive care."
"The Prime Minister has condemned the attack and demanded an explanation from Luzon. All flags will be flown at half-mast nationwide next Monday to mourn the victims."
"The director of Eguchi Library was found murdered in his home. Police are investigating whether this is connected to the previous incident."
"The Cabinet has officially commended the heroic actions of Fujiwara Toru, a first-year student at Tokyo University. The Cabinet has approved awarding him the Red Ribbon Medal."
"..."
Toru scanned the report.
Over twenty deaths in a single incident. Even by American gun violence standards, that was a shocking number.
And this wasn't even a shooting. The victims were killed with cold weapons, which made the incident even more brutal.
After a moment, Toru messaged Haibara.
[Haibara, send me a list of the equipment and instruments you need. I'll get them for you.]
Haibara responded immediately, not holding back:
[Flow cytometry sorting system, analytical flow cytometer, laser confocal microscope, ultra-high-speed centrifuge, 600MHz/400MHz NMR spectrometer, gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer.]
[Also, an ultra-clean cell laboratory would be ideal. I'll send a full list later.]
"..."
Toru looked at the equipment list with a blank stare.
Even without knowing what most of those were, he could tell they were expensive just by the names.
"That three million dollars won't be enough. Even if I get the previous CIA funds approved, it's still not enough."
"Looks like I'll need to scam a bigger budget this time."
He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Acquiring a company wouldn't work either. Haibara wasn't suited for public appearances. Even if he got a pharmaceutical company, she couldn't openly use the equipment.
After a pause, he sent her another message:
[Haibara, get ready. We're going to kidnap Kudo Shinichi and make him your lab rat.]
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)